Another Time, Another Place

It always amazes me how every Starbucks has its distinctive "feel"to it, even though the menu is exactly the same, the decor pretty much the same, within the limits of adapting to a different layout dictated by the building. This Starbucks is in the heart of downtown North Miami by the bricked plaza next to city hall, and right in front of MOCA the art museum, and the police station. Stores and office buildings run for blocks in either direction on both sides of the street.

Parking is a royal pain, finding your way to the parking can be confusing, and the amount of parking spaces is limited as well. Seating inside is minimal, and the outside "smoking section" restricted to but a few tables which sit out in the hot sun until late in the afternoon, when the building itself offers some shade.

The customer base runs more towards business people, office workers, and museum patrons, mostly older than the students that hang out at the other North Miami Starbucks. The baristas seem to reflect that as well, with less of them looking like they're barely 20.

I came out of city hall and the green sign beckoned as I walked across the plaza. Time for another coffee!